ANZ to debut B787-9 on Sydney route

Air New Zealand will debut its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on its Auckland to Sydney route next week.

The stretched Dreamliner will be introduced on August 9 and will replace the B767 and A320 aircraft that currently operate the service.

ANZ was the first airline to receive the B787-9 from Boeing last month (see news, July 9).

But the Kiwi carrier will be the second airline to operate the aircraft on a scheduled service — All Nippon Airways yesterday confirmed it will launch its debut B787-9 flight two days earlier on August 7 (see news, July 31).

Air New Zealand's B787-9 is configured with 18 fully-flat Business Premier seats in a herringbone layout, and a separate 21-seat premium economy cabin in a 2-3-2 configuration, each with its own bathroom facilities.

Two economy cabins will accommodate 263 passengers, including 14 rows of the airline's Skycouch.

ANZ has also updated the IFE technology on board the aircraft, with an "app-based touchscreen system" designed in partnership with Panasonic, which includes a Tripadvisor app that the carrier claims is a "world exclusive and a first for any airline", allowing passengers to research their destination in-flight.

Air New Zealand has a further nine B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft on order.